The Homesteading Cottage: 31 Days :: Prepare Your Heart with Thankfulness

I've mentioned before that there are certain things I do each day to keep things running smoothly. One of these is the simple act of focusing my mornings with thankfulness. The way we begin our days sets the tone for how we finish our days. Ever had those times when you just wished you could go back to bed and begin again? It's all about getting started on the right foot.

Before my day begins, I center myself with these three components...

Center spiritually by having time for meditation, prayer and devotions
Center mentally by being thankful
Center physically with simple exercise

That second component of thankfulness is the one I want to focus on today. The way I center myself mentally is by keeping a gratitude journal. Each morning I make a list of 10 things for which I'm thankful and it can be something as small as a great parking space to a biggy like healing. The depth of content really doesn't matter...the important thing is to begin noticing all of the good in your life, because we all have it. I know sometimes it feels like there isn't much to be thankful for, but oh, what a misconception (:

By training our eyes to look for the light in life, we begin to see more of it. We all know that focal points are important in design, but they also matter in life. That center of attraction pulls everything together. If you're focused on blessings, then you'll see more blessings. If you're tuned in to lack and what you don't have, then that's exactly what you'll see.

When I first started keeping a gratitude journal many moons ago, it felt a little odd and sometimes I kept writing the same things over and over again. Then one day I decided to look for new blessings during the day so I would have something different to write about in my journal the following morning...haha! Seek and ye shall find (;

When we open our hearts to being thankful, we begin to catch sight of the good that is sometimes hidden in the everyday. We begin to notice the small gestures made by others. We begin to witness the touches of grace that were so woefully neglected before. It's easy to spot the irritating, aggravating and annoying and it doesn't require much spiritual fortitude to express our disdain for these things once discovered.

People love to complain. Why? Because it doesn't require anything of us. It's easy. But when we're surrounded by the uncomfortable things of life and choose to be thankful anyway, ah...now that requires a part of the soul that digs deep. By excavating and using our thankful muscles, it trains our spirit to keep the lacks away and we naturally begin to see our days in a blessed way.

"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 106:1

So, if your days seem to be filled with more dark than light, try keeping a gratitude journal to open the pathway for more blessings to flow. You may just be surprised at what you might find (;

I hope you'll continue to follow our 31 Days of Preparation journey. Join us again tomorrow as we share how to prepare our hearts by expressing thankfulness once we find it (; Enter your email below and each post will automatically be delivered to your inbox. Don't forget to stop by the many other 31 Dayers for additional inspiration!